International Space Station | The Math Blaster Blog

Rare Unplanned Spacewalk for NASA

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Math Blaster

The work that NASA has accomplished throughout the years has given society incredible insight into the world around us. In addition to this, there is no doubt that all of NASA’s work has been characterized by methodology, regulations, and plans. This type of planning and preparation, however, was disrupted recently by an unplanned spacewalk on the international space station.

On Saturday, May 11, two astronauts made an unplanned spacewalk in order to find more information about ammonia snowflakes that were appearing in space over a span of two days.

It was found that the space station cooling system had sustained a leak. Over time, the damage caused by the leak increased, prompting this spacewalk. The leak resulted in a loss of ammonia coolant, causing one of the eight power systems that provide electricity to the space station to shut down.

Luckily, the space station and its crew were never in any danger. Also, the two astronauts that went on this spacewalk were two experienced spacewalkers who had actually worked on the damaged part of the station. The spacewalk was also significant because it was very unique and rare for NASA. Normally, NASA’s actions are planned out and deliberate, while this spacewalk was thought out in a quicker-than-usual manner.

During the five and a half-hour spacewalk, the two astronauts located the potential leak and replaced a pump in the station. More time is needed to ascertain whether or not this replacement pump fixed the leak in the space station. After the spacewalk mission was completed, the station took great care to make sure that no residual ammonia remained on the space suits. This is because the ammonia would have been toxic if it entered the station.

All of the aspects of this recent story from NASA could serve as a potential learning tool for your child. Ask your child questions, such as how they would approach fixing the issue at the space station, or even about what they think about the after-mission process the astronauts had to go through. Also, do not forget to incorporate their favorite science and math activities during these learning opportunities.

Filed under: Current Events, Newsletter, Parents and Kids, Science Facts, Technology and Kids, What's New | Tagged: International Space Station, NASA, science, unplanned spacewalk | 2 Comments »

Out of This World Foods

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Math Blaster

While many of us celebrated last week’s Thanksgiving holiday with delicious foods and other seasonal treats, did you and your kids ever stop to wonder about the foods astronauts might eat while celebrating holidays in space? When food is taken into space, there are various requirements it must meet in order for trips to space to remain as efficient as possible. Space programs like NASA must consider how foods are stored, their overall weight for takeoff preparations, packaging, shelf life, nutritional value, and most of all how they will handle in zero gravity situations.

In the early days of space exploration, extended trips included simple, specialized foods that were often consumed through straws or packaged in tube form. More recently food supplies to space have become more varied with the help of food handling techniques in dehydrating, freeze drying or thermostabilization. Generally, when processing meals for space travel, any excess moisture or lingering microorganisms that cause foods to spoil must be removed. Foods are then later re-hydrated in space where hot water is readily available. In certain cases, some ready to eat items like fruit or vegetables can even be stored and consumed without special processing.

Other advances in food for spaceflight include specialized packaging and coatings on items to help prevent crumbs or any food related debris from interfering with the functionality of a space orbiting shuttle. Additionally, meals are usually served on trays that are attached to the walls of the shuttle or fastened to their laps or tables. The specially packaged foods are then attached to the trays using systems with magnets or other fasteners and warmed through the injection of hot water for purposes of re-hydrating the packaged items.

These meals are specifically designed by dietitians that ensure that all proper nutritional requirements are being met for each astronaut. Depending on an astronaut’s country of origin, some space programs have even designed meals around culturally specific flavors or foods. Moreover, some special observances are made for holiday meals like the recent Thanksgiving celebration aboard the International Space Station, which included smoked turkey, corn bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, pie, and thermo stabilized yams.

Despite the many advances in food designed for space travel, there are still a few precautions in place to help assure that missions remain safe and efficient. If your family would take a trip to space, what foods would you and your kids hope to find? Are there any things or seasonal holiday treats that they might look for ? Let us know!

Filed under: Family Fun, Just for Fun, Newsletter | Tagged: International Space Station, Math Blaster, newsletter, space | 3 Comments »

The Dragon’s Flight

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Math Blaster

On Sunday, October 28^th, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft splashed into the waters about 250 miles off the coast of Baja California after a trip to the International Space Station. The vehicle was designed to transport pressurized and unpressurized cargo as well as passengers to and from space. According to CNN, Dragon’s return marked the first successful commercial cargo mission to Earth’s orbit. The spacecraft transported approximately 900 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station, returning with nearly 1,700 pounds of freight comprised mostly of used hardware and scientific research material.

Dragon’s mission, called CRS-1, began on October 7^th when the Falcon 9 rocket launched the spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. During the spacecraft’s launch, one of the Falcon 9’s engines malfunctioned but the launch team was able to successfully send Dragon into space despite this issue. Scientists are looking to correct this problem as the CRS-1 was only the first of twelve scheduled launches NASA has planned for Dragon.

After being recovered from its splashdown, Dragon was transported back to SpaceX’s facility in McGregor, Texas while its cargo was sent to NASA to be analyzed. NASA and SpaceX are optimistic about the significance of Dragon’s first mission as NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told CNN, “This work will transform our relationship to space, save money and create jobs.” SpaceX’s CEO and CTO Elon Musk also commented that “This historic mission signifies the restoration of America’s ability to deliver and return critical space station cargo.”

Scientists believe that Dragon’s CRS-1 mission is a trailblazer for future space travel and suggests exciting possibilities for living in space. What cool facts have you learned about SpaceX’s Dragon? Do you think it will be possible to live in outer space someday? Let us know your thoughts on this groundbreaking event!

Filed under: Current Events, Newsletter, Technology and Kids | Tagged: Dragon, International Space Station, NASA, Outer Space, SpaceX | 2 Comments »

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